The Astrodome: '90s culture through the lens of 'Houston's Living Room'

Balloons swayed in the wind, oversized birthday candles stood tall on the roof, and a rainbow of banners covered the exterior to celebrate the Astrodome’s 25th anniversary. 

Renowned athletes and city VIPs gathered for a ceremony with a statue unveiling of Vivian Smith, the wife of Bob Smith, the multimillionaire who donated his land and money to building the Astrodome. Yogi Berra, the baseball legend and former Astros manager (1985-1989), was one of the famous faces present.

“I’ve been in a lot of domes,” Berra told KPRC, “this is still the best dome going.”

On Jan. 6, 1991, Lou McEachern made history as the only man who has cast a weighted fishing line over the roof of the Astrodome. The Beaumont resident and national long-distance casting champ was invited to show off his talents as part of the 35th annual Houston International Boat, Sport and Travel Show. McEachern, perched atop a 10-foot-tall structure on the roof's apron, cast the  5.25-ounce weight more than 800 feet to the other side. 

"It hit the apron. It got across the dome whether you call that making it or not," McEachern told Relicia Jones of the Houston Chronicle. "It went over with great angle, plenty of clearance."

The Astrodome hosted another kind of competition from Aug. 17 to Aug. 20 of 1992: the Republican National Convention. Despite facing a primary challenge from cable TV pundit Pat Buchanan throughout the summer, President George H.W. Bush was nominated to run for reelection, though he would lose to Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton a few months later.

The logistics surrounding the three-day event forced the Astros to play 26 consecutive away games over 28 days, and resulted in all the Oilers’ preseason games to be played on the road.

Only a few weeks later, a different kind of crowd cheered from the floor of the Astrodome when first Metallica and then Guns n’ Roses performed. According to a report from KRTK-TV, more than 50 people received medical attention during the concert, due largely to heat exhaustion and public intoxication, and about a dozen were arrested.

The iconic rainbow jersey made its debut in 1975, and some version of the full-body red, orange and yellow stripes were worn through the 1987 season before the colorful look was limited to just its striped shoulders. However, the era of the Astros' so-dubbed “tequila sunrise” uniform officially ended with the 1993 season.  

The jersey was controversial when it first appeared on the field but has since become beloved by fans. There is some debate over how the design came about, but Molly Glentzer for the Houston Chronicle made the case that the rainbows were a play on the Astrodome’s seats. She has a point—the original seats were upholstered in red, yellow and orange. Field-level was red, the mezzanine seats were orange while the upper deck was yellow until the seats were reupholstered to be all three of the colors in that one section. When Astros fans wear their rainbow jersey to a brewery or to catch a game, it is as if the spirit of the Astrodome continues. 

The Houston Rockets were led to their first NBA championship title in the 1993-1994 season by league MVP Hakeem Olajuwon and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich. Houston celebrated with more than 52,000 Rockets fans gathering for a victory party under the Dome. Each player took a ride around the Astrodome floor in a white convertible as the audience cheered and the team took the stage to say thanks to their fans, according to an AP article.

“From now on, when anybody asks you where you're from, you tell them 'Houston, City of Champions,"' Tomjanovich said.

Selena Quintanilla Pérez would play her third and final Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show concert on February 26, 1995. The “queen of Tejano music” performed her sold-out show for one of the largest crowds the Astrodome ever held: 66,746 fans.

Selena wore her now-famous purple jumpsuit during what would be her last televised concert. A little more than a month later, Selena would be murdered by Yolanda Saldívar, a former employee and president of her fan club, in Corpus Christi. The album “Selena LIVE! The Last Concert” was created from the Astrodome performance and released in 2001. 

The Houston Oilers’ owner Bud Adams had been threatening for years to move the team unless a new stadium was built. Even with the original scoreboard removed in order to increase the capacity by an additional 7,500 seats in 1988, Adams was unhappy. The decision was made to move the Oilers to Tennessee and the team’s last game occurred on December 15, 1996 versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Fewer than 15,000 fans were in attendance and many held signs showing their disapproval. 

The Astros clinched the NL Central Division title on September 25, 1997—this was the first division title the team had won in 11 years, and the first title earned in the newly formed division. The ‘Killer Bs,’ Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, secured the victory over the Chicago Cubs, which kicked off the beginning of an Astros golden era, with the team reaching the postseason six times in nine seasons. 

To seal an already exciting night, the matchup between the Astros and Cubs was featured on a live episode of NBC's “ER” titled “Ambush” that was airing the same night. The game is shown playing on a television in the breakroom of the Chicago-based drama. Dr. Doug Ross, played by George Clooney, gives an update on the score to Julianna Margulies’ Carol Hathaway.  

There were several stars who made an appearance at the Astrodome in 1998. It was Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson’s first and only season with the Astros. Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs and Mark McGwire with the St. Louis Cardinals both took to the field to rack up home runs in their efforts to beat the MLB's single-season record. George Foreman planned to celebrate his 50th birthday with a fight under the Dome before canceling it due to missed payments.

But it was a tiny stuffed horse that drew crowds of children and their parents to the Astros game on Aug. 17. The gates did not open until 11:30 a.m., but those who hoped to obtain one of the 20,000 Derby the Horse Beanie Babies lined up as early as 6:00 a.m., according to Houston Chronicle reports. A Derby the Horse from that game can currently be purchased on Ebay for $19.99.

The day finally came on October 3, 1999, for the Astros to have their final regular season game in the Astrodome. 

“I remember thinking as I walked around the Dome, we’re just going to leave this,” Acosta, who began his stint as the Astros historian that same year, says. “This has been our home.” 

Acosta had one of the best seats in the house to watch it all unfold: the broadcast booth. “The confetti fell from the rafters of the Astrodome. Willie Nelson was there,” he recalls. “It was a really wonderful day and somewhat sad for me.”

The regular season ended on a high note, with the Astros securing another NL Central title thanks to a 9-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Biggio and pitcher Mike Hampton took a celebratory ride around the Astrodome on a Harley Davidson motorcycle while puffing cigars. 

It would be six days later on October 9 that the Astros would take to the field one last time when the team lost to the Atlanta Braves in the NL Divisional Playoffs. 

While Acosta believes that the Astros did a great job of celebrating their last days in the Astrodome that year, he says that people were so focused on the new stadium that no plans were made for the historic facility. 

“It felt like the Astrodome was taken for granted and left by the wayside,” Acosta says. He believes that a focus on Houston culture has occurred over the past 20 years where locals are more tuned into what makes the city great and how to cultivate it. 

“That happened probably 10 years too late,” Acosta laments. “If it had happened in the mid-90s, people would have been rallying around the Astrodome.” 

There are no current plans for the future of the Astrodome, though several have been proposed since the behemoth closed its doors to the public in 2009. From an event center to its final demolition, none of the proposals have met Harris County's requirements: no requisite of significant public capital investment, the ability to generate revenue to offset expenses, and that it is a public benefit.

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